Friday, 3 July 2015

Guest Post: Kat Gordon on the appeal of a coming-of-age narrative.

The Appeal of a Coming-of-Age Narrative

by Kat Gordon

For me, the appeal of a coming of age narrative lies in three areas:

1) It’s a classic story, and as such never really goes out of style (55 years after it was published, To Kill a Mockingbird seems just as authentic and perceptive as ever; 155 years later, Great Expectations is just as ingenuous). It’s also as universal as you can get – we were all children once, and all grew older and learnt more about the world as we did so.

2) It provides the writer with a great opportunity for humour through the dramatic irony inherent in an older narrator looking back at the misunderstandings and impropriety of their younger selves – in my novel, the protagonist Tallie, remembers learning about “urges” and “sperm...swimming around in their blood, or something” from her older cousin, and telling a newly-arrived-on-the-scene Uncle Jack “I don’t like you very much”. However, the narrative also demands psychological and moral growth, supplying depth; in fact, its success often depends upon a convincing portrait of the psychology of the protagonist, which makes it all the more emotionally engaging for the reader.

3) Lastly, but not leastly, there is a heightening of emotions that goes hand-in-hand with childrens’ and teenagers’ hormonal changes that can really intensify their experiences on the page. This helps with the tension and momentum of a narrative, which is especially appealing nowadays.

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